Stockholm Furniture Fair 2017 - A Review

By John Sacks

Stockholm Exhibition Centre

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Introduction and overview

Stockholm in February is a shock to the system. Snow and ice on the ground. Rivers and canals

frozen over. Night time temperatures down to minus 8c. Bitterly cold, but brilliantly sunny.

After a day or so when you have acclimatised, you notice other things. How the air you’re breathing

is so fresh and bracing. The spotlessly clean environment. The friendly and charming people, 99% of

whom seem to speak perfect English. How the transport systems all work so efficiently. The

delicious, if outrageously expensive, food, and especially drink.

The Stockholm Furniture & Lighting Fair is a consummate event. Contained within three halls, one

very large and two smaller, together with a number of linked displays, it is compact, compared with

Orgatec or, especially, Milan. However, for the serious as opposed to the casual visitor, the

overwhelmingly high proportion of quality exhibitors and products means that covering the show

takes a long time. It feels as if every stand has something special to say and it’s almost a relief when

you chance upon something which is outside your own zone of interest and which, consequently,

you can safely ignore. The originality of products and the way they are displayed is exceptional and

it’s a delight to see how almost every company has raised its game knowing how tough the

competition it faces.

One characteristic of the furniture industry in Nordic countries is the high proportion of very old

companies, some of which date back to the 18th century, and which are still owned and managed by

members of the original founding families. This continuity undoubtedly contributes to a sense of

obligation to past generations to maintain the highest of quality standards, as if to avoid harming the

accumulated heritage.

Many of the exhibitor companies are very small, with just a handful of employees. The few that

don’t manufacture all their own products invariably source the rest from similarly small

manufacturers in their immediate vicinity. The cost of exhibiting here is very high, just as with most

things in Sweden. It’s difficult to understand how such small companies can afford to take such

large, impressive stands at the show.

Apart from the “home” companies, Italian manufacturers were well represented, together with a

smattering from other parts of Europe. There were very few from further afield.

It was frankly difficult to find anything to carp at. Access from the city centre by the fast train service

is easy. Exhibitors are generally conveniently arranged according to their product sector, signage is

clear and informative and catering facilities are abundant, varied, original in nature and imaginative.

How often do you find a large sushi bar at a furniture show, outside Japan? There are even plenty of

washrooms well spread around the halls which is often a failing of other shows.

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One innovative feature was a large, full-scale pop-up restaurant – Sulla Bocca Di Tutti – which was

both a very classy eatery and a design exhibit in its own right, with a menu created by celebrity chef

Isabella Morrone combining Swedish and Italian cuisine.

Sulla Bocca Di Tutti

After the first day, attendance built up quickly, peaking on the Thursday which was very busy. It

seemed that even the quality of visitor was high with what seemed to be many very serious-looking

attendees from all over the world, most of whom looked as though they were from a design or

architectural discipline. Noise levels were low, unlike many shows, despite the high attendance and

a plethora of babies in pushchairs. This is Sweden, after all!

The fair is somewhat less of a networking event than other shows; more an opportunity to

experience cutting edge design from hundreds of often very small, but highly innovative makers, a

few displaying products of a quality that took the breath away.

Product trends

At first sight, it wasn’t easy to spot trends because exhibitors at this fair strive for originality.

However, with most of the exhibitors from the Nordic countries, it is not surprising that natural

materials – especially timber and wool-based textiles – abound. Wood products were invariably

beautifully finished and highly tactile, and there was considerable emphasis on original fabric

designs featuring the earthy colours of nature.

There were many stands where black and white were the prominent colours, often featuring black-

stained ash furniture, and others where all upholstery was in shades of grey so as not to distract the

eye from the form of the seating or breakout furniture being presented.

The focus of the office furniture companies was away from workstations, although there were some

sit stand products on show. Much of their emphasis was on upholstered products, including

enclosures of all shapes and sizes, and tables with related seating. Shell chairs abounded. Acoustic

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products were well represented with an emphasis on portability and lightness of appearance.

Telephone enclosures were everywhere.

The companies and products

Jonas Ihreborn from Värnamo in the south of Sweden were a good example of the country’s

furniture makers - a 3rd generation family business with 14 employees who export 30% of their

output. They showed one of the black ash veneered tables which were seen around the show,

Piano.

Piano by Jonas Ihreborn

The Wobedo screen

A young cooperative of five owners, Wobedo, who work together in Lund, also in the South of

Sweden where most of the furniture manufacturers are to be found, showed their novel, foldable,

lightweight portable screens. They can create instant privacy in a variety of environments, including

education and come with a wall-mounted hook so the screens can be easily stored.

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The Danish industry giant, Fritz Hansen, had a

large stand showing some of their classic

products and a new upholstered chair, via 57,

designed by Bjarke Ingels and with a shape

inspired by the E57th St skyscraper he created

in New York.

Via 57 by Fritz Hansen

A small company from Knislinge in the south of Sweden, Skipper, with only thirteen employees,

presented a new modular line of reception seating, Circles, designed by Carsten Buhl and reflecting

the pervasive black and white theme.

Circles by Skipper Slender table and Freya chair

Danish maker, Magnus Olesen continued the wood theme with their well-crafted timber-framed

Slender conference table with a lino top, designed by Antonio Scaffidi and the Freya chair from Says

Who.

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Horreds, one of the larger companies with fifty employees, and located in the village of the same

name not far from Gothenburg, followed the black and white theme with sit stand tables and also

showed a new range of Yoko stools.

Sit stand table and Yoko stools from Horreds

Hive enclosure from Charles Strand near Gothenburg

Ocee Design

The eponymous James Burleigh from London, a

favourite with the architectural community,

showed a range of wood and laminate tables while

another British company, OCee Design, which

recently acquired the Danish organisation, Four

Design, presented a wide range of products, a

result of that long- standing collaboration.

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Isku, owned by the Vikström family, is one of the largest companies in Finland, employing some 750

people at their head office in Lahti.

Zilenzio – ‘selling silence - a company from Örebro worked with Note Design Studio in Stockholm to

produce Focus acoustic screens. Why do so many Swedish companies choose Italian-sounding names

fort their companies?

Focus screens from Zilenzio

In common with several other international companies, Herman Miller participated in the show with

their local distributor – Ergonomic Office. They showed the updated version of the Aeron chair –

Aeron Remastered – and the Keyn Chair Group. Another Swedish company, Ragnars from Forserum,

featured electric sit stand furniture, including the wood framed Nordic tables from designer

Wingårdhs.

Nordic from Ragnars

Keyn from Herman Miller

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Materia are from Tranås in Swenen and showed some innovative pieces from leading designers

Roger Duverell, Ola Giertz, Anders Berg Steinar Hindenes, Petter Knudsen and others.

My Place and Mr T from Materia

The largest company in the region, and indeed in Europe, Kinnarps, had an award-living stand

on two levels which matched their size. They had abandoned their traditional blue for a

multihued rainbow presentation.

]

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Salli from Rautalampi in Finland claim to be the

inventors of the original ‘saddle’ chair which was

very comfortable and attracted considerable

attention.

Another regional giant, Scandinavian Business Seating or SBS, is a group of acronyms – RH,

RBM, the newly acquired BMA from the Netherlands and Håg. With nearly 550 employees, their

large stand which attracted plenty of attention was more about presenting the corporate image

than products.

SBS

One of the most beautiful

products at the show was a

very simple, endless, oak table

– the Trestle – designed by

John Pawson for Viccarbe from

Valencia with a bevelled edge

which just had to be touched.

So elegant.

The Trestle table

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The fascinatingly named Into the Nordic Silence from Helsinki had some well thought out

acoustic enclosures for different applications and were probably the leading company in this

sector.

Into the Nordic Silence

One of the most eye-catching displays was that of Byarums Bruk, founded 70 years’ ago in

southern Sweden which makes outdoor public space furniture from cast iron. The stand

featured a real locomotive, track and part of what was made to look like an old railway station.

How a company with just fifteen employees could afford a stand like theirs, I cannot imagine.

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And finally,

Wherever in the world exhibitions are held, English is frequently the language of choice for company

and product names, and marketing displays. Only in this region is the standard of English spelling

and grammar impeccable, spoiling any opportunity to include amusing errors in reviews such as this.

The show is probably the best in the world for a consistently high standard of design, manufacturing

quality and presentation. Every stand seems to have something worthwhile, and the senses are

almost overwhelmed with beautiful products. Other office and contract furniture exhibitions take

note; this is how it should be done.

John Sacks,

JSA Consultancy Services, London.

www.jsacs.com;

info@jsacs.com; T: +44 20 7670 1510. 12 February 2017